 |
Dean Palmer  |
COLUMBUS, OH - Dean Palmer of Ironton has been named the 2004 Ohio Watercraft Officer of the Year by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA), according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Watercraft.
NASBLA developed the award to recognize and honor outstanding service to recreational boating. The organization honors one watercraft officer from each state every year.
Palmer was named the ODNR Ohio Watercraft Officer of the Year in 2003. He now serves as area supervisor for state boating programs in southern Ohio and is headquartered at the Division of Watercraft office in Portsmouth.
Palmer joined ODNR as a state watercraft officer in 1990, enforcing boating laws on the Ohio River in addition to other area lakes and waterways. He is a former patrolman with the Coal Grove Police Department in Lawrence County and veteran of the U.S. Navy.
The ODNR Division of Watercraft administers Ohio’s recreational boating programs, including watercraft registration and titling operations, and provides grants to local communities for enforcement, education and boating access facilities. The division investigates boating accidents and related fatalities, and enforces state boating laws on Ohio’s waterways. These and other Division of Watercraft programs are funded by a portion of the state gasoline sales tax, boating registration and titling fees and a grant from the U.S. Coast Guard.